1. GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

2. Before Reading Any Further…
What is the first impression you get when you hear “genetically modified” foods?

3. Is it… 1 2
? or
What’s scarier is not knowing the facts!

4. What is DNA? DNA is molecule of life.3
DNA is molecule of life.
It contains all of instructions (genes) required to make an organism.

5. What are genetically modified foods?
Also called genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Involves the insertion of DNA from one organism into another OR modification of an organism’s DNA in order to achieve a desired trait. 4 5 +
A strawberry resistant to frost =
Arctic fish DNA
strawberry

6. Examples of GMO’s
Golden rice – rice that contains beta-carotene (Vitamin A), which is not found in regular rice.
Bt corn – corn that contains a chemical normally found in a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) that is toxic to insects but not to humans.
Herbicide resistant plants.

7. Modifying Genes
Also called recombinant DNA technology, molecular cloning, and genetic engineering.
Restriction enzymes are used to “cut” DNA segments from one genome.
DNA ligases are used to “paste” them into another genome.
Foreign DNA

8. How are animals targeted?
The microinjection method uses a fine needle to inject a solution of DNA into a developing embryo. 6

9. How are plants targeted?
Agrobacterium that normally normally infects plants with disease is used to infect plant with gene of interests or…
A particle gun is used to shoot small bits of metal coated with the gene into the plant. 7

10. How common are GM foods?
48 foods have been approved for use by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Products
Corn
Canola
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Squash
Soybeans
Flax
Cottonseed oil
Sugarbeets
Derived Products
Corn syrup
Tofu
Canned foods
Soya sauce
Animals that feed on GMOs… ….
AND MORE
Details can be found at:

11. How common are GMO foods?8
Labeling of GM foods is not mandatory unless if there is a health or safety concern (Health Canada/Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

12. Potential Benefits Humanitarian:
Improved farming
Cheaper food
More food
Increased nutrition
Reducing world hunger and improving world health
Pest resistance
Herbicide resistance
Cold tolerance
Drought tolerance
Edible vaccines
Environmental: reduced use of herbicides and chemicals in farming.

13. Potential Environmental Hazards11
Reduced effectiveness of pesticides as insects become resistant to engineered toxins.
Loss of biodiversity
Harm to other organisms
Pollen from Bt corn was shown to cause high mortality rates in monarch butterfly larvae(9). BUT follow-up studies have shown that the exposure levels in the fields are negligible(10).

14. Potential Environmental Hazards
Gene Transfer to non-target species
Herbicide resistant plants and weeds could cross breed and create “superweeds”
To address this one could:
Create sterile male plants that don’t produce pollen
Engineer the plants so that pollen doesn’t contain the foreign genes
Create buffer zones of non-GM crops around GM crops. The buffer crops would not be harvested.

15. Potential Human Health Risks
Allergens
Genetic engineering could potential introduce or create allergens
For example, inserting genes from a nut into another plant could be dangerous for people who are allergic to nuts
Unknown health risks
Biological processes involve a lot of INTERACTIONS
It is often difficult to identify every possible interaction.

16. Economic Hazards Elimination of competition Suicide seeds
GM seeds are patented
Suicide seeds
Plants with sterile seeds that are infertile are created
Farmers are forced to buy seeds every year
However, some companies have reduced costs or donated GM seeds to impoverished nations.

17. Creating a balance So are GM foods a good or bad thing?
It depend on each individual case.
Consumers, the government and scientists should be responsible for weighing the benefits against the costs.
Improved Nutrition
Resistance to disease
Reduced use of chemicals
Environmental risks
Health risks
Economic risks